Dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, apples, apricots, and peaches are recognized as highly nutritious food products. Raisins, for example, are a good source of iron, and they supply calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, B vitamins, protein and dietary fiber. (Foods and Food Production Encyclopedia, Considine, D. M. ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York 1982, pages 1639-1942). Dried fruits are utilized as snack foods, confectionaries, etc., and as ingredients in foods such as snack foods, confectionaries, biscuits, cookies, cakes, dairy products, cereals, etc. Dried fruits are typically sweet, chewy, and resilient to mechanical food processing equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,717,489 (issued Jun. 18, 1929 to Barlow) discloses a method of changing the flavor of dried fruits comprising combining the expressed juice of one fruit with another fruit which has been sun-dried or evaporated or which is in the process of drying. In one method disclosed a dry or drying fruit is immersed in the fruit juice of another fruit for a short time and then put again to dry; the process being repeated until the desired result is fully obtained. The method disclosed in the reference leaves much to be desired in terms of processing efficiency and processing costs and the tendency of the fruit juice to ferment over time may result in a product having an alcoholic taste. In addition, the absence of preservatives in the fruit juice and/or repeated applications of the fruit juice to the dry or drying fruit may introduce undesirable microorganisms into the dried fruit product shortening the shelf life of the product and more importantly, rendering the product harmful to consumers. Further, the repeated application of the fruit juice to the dry or drying fruit increases the sugar content resulting in a sticky product which is nutritionally less desirable. Repeated drying of the fruit also reduces the content of nutrients and volatiles in the fruit which effects the nutritional, and aroma and flavor qualities, respectively of the product.
See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,188,861, 1,609,720, 1,717,489, 4,542,033, expressly incorporated herein by reference. See also JP 61-216641 (September, 1986), Furia, CRC Handbook of Food Additives, vol. 1, 1972, CRC Press Inc., Cleveland, pp. 225-253.
A number of technologies are available for infusing fruits with carbohydrates, flavors, colors, and the like. See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,188,772, and 6,159,527, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.